Hello out there--
I am really starting to wonder if I am bipolar. I am looking for those of you that either are bipolar or live with someone that is biploar to give me an insight into what it is like.
I find myself going through cycles when everything is going really well and other cycles when I feel like I am a hamster on a treadmill and I keep running only to get nowhere. Right now, I am on the hamster wheel.
Thanks for any info!
speak to psm.. she is an expert in the field..Supert - not Bipolar myself but lived with a woman with severe bipolar for thirteen... long... years..
It's not any more fun having than living with it. It's very similar to ADHD in symptoms - but also as you describe - periods of euphoria where you can do or be anything. That's inevitably followed by the "crash" - a period where you spend all day feeling angry, or inconsolably sad where nothing helps. It's like a roller-coaster where the middle seems gone. Totally happy or totally sad no in between.
It's hard for an MD to tell the difference. A psychiatrist of any skill at all should be able to tell after asking the right questions. A good third of the questions my psych asked me during testing was about bipolar.
Do check with a psychiatrist if you suspect bipolar. Sounds like you've questioned it a bit and it's a good idea to find out. If you have it - there's excellent treatments now ranging from entry-level antidepressents to lithium for bad cases.
Good luck - and you can ask me anything about it - I've had over a decade of experience dealing with someone from the outside looking in. I hope it's not - that's a terrible way to go through life and I always felt bad for my ex.
I am one of what is considered a "rare" case as a child I was diagnosed as a rapid cycling bipolar and it was only recently that my new shrink had wondered if i was adhd combined type and sure enough a little concerta and some adderall later i am a calm non moody person so weigh it out first and get a second opinion because it may be one the other or both so keep it cool